We investigated the germination requirements of Androsace villosa L. (Hairy Androsace), which spreads on limestone or granite screes or ledges of rocky or turfy slopes and hilltops of the alpine zone. With seeds collected from Uludag Mt. (Bursa, Turkey, 2200-2300 m a.s.l.), germination was studied in fresh seeds, seeds subjected to short-time moist chilling (15 d, +4°C), to GA3 (100, 150 and 250 ppm), and to chilling plus GA3. The hormone and moist chilling treatments were carried out in continuous darkness (20°C) and under a 12 h photoperiod at 20/10°C. Seeds maintained in darkness gave higher germination percentages than seeds maintained under a photoperiod. Germination rates rose to 90-97% with 100-250 ppm GA3 and short-time moist chilling in continuous darkness (20°C). Seeds germinated rapidly under a combination of GA3 and short-time moist chilling in continuous darkness, generally giving the lowest mean germination times (4.4-5.0 d) among the treatments.

In the present study, the effects of 10, 20, 30 ppm hormone mixtures (indole-3-acetic acid + gibberellic acid + kinetin) with 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 1 ppm zinc (Zn) concentrations alone and their mixtures on the cambial activity of sour cherry (Cerasus vulgaris Miller) cuttings were investigated. Morphological and anatomical developments of the plants were observed. The leaves of the plants treated with zinc were found to be greener than the control. Plants treated with zinc faded earlier than the control. The cambial zone thickness, the cambial zone cell line, the radial and tangential lengths of the cambial zone cells decreased with increasing concentrations of zinc and increased with increasing concentrations of hormones. The radial and tangential wall widths of the cambial zone cells increased with increasing zinc concentrations and decreased with increasing hormone concentrations. As a result, in the 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 1 ppm Zn concentrations, the cambial zone thickness decreased by 10, 28, 50 and 65%, respectively, compared to the control. Thirty ppm hormone mixture – H.M. (indole-3-acetic acid + gibberellic acid + kinetin) increased the cambial zone thickness by 65, 15, 5% in 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 Zn, respectively, compared to the control. It was found that plant hormones importantly improved the harmful effects of zinc on the cambial activity of the plant cuttings.